Apr 2020 DOI 10.14302/issn.2637-6075.jpae-20-3322
Omozemoje Ayobami AigberuaCorresponding author
Department partment of Environment, Research and Development, Anal Concept Limited, Elelenwo, Rivers State, Nigeria
In spite of the popularity of open-air waste dumping in Nigeria, it remains a relatively less effective waste management option across the globe because of its associated environmental impacts which includes the release of green house gases (GHGs), persistent organic pollutants (POPs), and metal micro-pollutants amongst others. This study aims to assess the potential environmental risks associated to metals released and vertically delineated across the soil profile within surroundings of dumpsite. Heavy metals in soil samples were acid-digested using the aqua-regia mixture of hydrochloric and nitric acid, followed by instrumentation analysis using the GBC 908 PBMT model atomic absorption spectrophotometer. Contaminated sites showed metal concentrations ranging from 1.493 to 109.460 mg/kg, 0.133 to 4.237 mg/kg, and 5.200 to 25.367 mg/kg for lead, cadmium and chromium respectively, with location 1 land area showing the most contamination. Only soil chromium was observed within regulatory stipulations in all cases. There was significant variation (p < 0.05) between the different sample locations, thereby indicating variations in composition of dumped wastes. Lead and cadmium showed the strongest positive correlation (r = 0.855, p < 0.01) and the application of some heavy metal pollution indicators revealed relatively higher metal loads and degree of contamination, as well as depicting potential ecological risk for soils of location 1. The significant heavy metal contamination of soils in the Tombia-Amassoma waste dumpsite requires that the local environmental sanitation and regulatory authorities take necessary remedial action to forestall the escalation of public health concerns that may emanate from this open-air dump.
Nov 2016 DOI 10.14302/issn.2644-0105.jbfb-16-1257
Aumeistere LivaCorresponding author
Institute of Food Safety, Animal Health and Environment BIOR, Riga, Latvia
Background: Breast milk is the ideal food source that contains all components an infant needs. Infants are at risk of receiving possible pollutants and high levels of trans fatty acids through breast milk that may affect their cardiovascular health and cognitive development. Statistics indicate that the proportion of children who are breastfed up to one year of age shows an annual increase in Latvia. Objectives: 1. To review studies conducted among the Latvian population regarding breast milk composition. 2. To evaluate the necessary future studies emphasizing the importance of the trans fatty acid content in a mother’s diet and correspondingly in breast milk and taking into consideration the new changes in Latvian legislation setting the maximum trans fat content in foodstuffs. Conclusions: There is very little research done about the human milk composition in Latvia that could be referable to a general population. It is known that the exposure of breast milk to persistent organic pollutants in Latvia corresponds to the lowest levels detected in the European countries and is not a cause of health disorders. Taking into consideration the adverse effect trans fatty acids have on human’s health regardless of the age, consumption should be as low as possible. Latvia has become the latest European Union country to set the maximum amount of trans fats in foodstuffs, yet there is no information about trans fatty acids content in human milk among women in Latvia. This problem needs to be addressed and set in motion. Therefore, it would be a novel idea to study if the TFA content also declines in milk among Latvian women after the introduction of the new legislation.